← Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
Her Style Podcast | Shopping, Color Palettes, Fashion, Wardrobe, Outfits, Clothing
296 | December Q&A: Comfortable Jeans, Petite Outfit Upgrades, Simple Holiday Style, and What to Pack for a Girls' Weekend
00:24:43
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- [00:00]
A
Hey friend. Welcome back to Her Style Podcast. Today's episode is a really fun one because we are digging into some real life, highly relatable style dilemmas straight from our amazing audience. That's right, this is our last listener Q and a episode for 2025. If you've ever struggled with finding jeans, you actually feel comfortable sitting in all day, or you're tired of wearing the same outfit uniform on repeat, or you wish you had some go to pieces that feel festive for this time of year without building a whole special occasion wardrobe. Or may an overpacker who still somehow never has the right thing to wear on your weekend getaways. You are going to love today's episode. We're covering all of these topics today and I'm giving you clear, practical, easy to implement solutions you can start using immediately. So go refill your mug, settle in, and get ready to tackle this month's listener Q and A with me.
- [00:57]
Welcome to Her Style Podcast where we're all about empowering you to show up and get dressed every day with confidence. I'm your host, Heather Riggs, a 15 year and counting certified image consultant and color specialist ready to build a wardrobe and a personal style you love. Let's get started.
- [01:23]
B
Hi Heather, I love your podcast. Thank you so much for all the amazing episodes. My question for you is about jeans.
- [01:29]
A
So.
- [01:30]
B
So I work from home and I've worked from home for a really long time and I've gotten into a habit of wearing sweatpants pajamas all day and I really want to get out of that and get back into wearing real clothes again. Jeans have always been one of my favorite things. However, I feel like since I've stopped wearing them every day, I'm not as comfortable in them like I used to be. Like, I used to live in them and now it's hard for me to wear them for even a few hours. So I was wondering if you could recommend some types of jeans or jean brands or anything that would make it more comfortable to sit in jeans all day long. So, like, I sit a lot. I'm a writer, so I spend a lot of time sitting. That's why I usually end up in pajamas or sweatpants. So if you have any recommendations for jeans specifically, that'd be great. I'm also open to other possible pant ideas that would be comfortable and still look nice. So thank you so much. I really appreciate it and keep up the awesome podcast.
- [02:21]
A
Well, Jennifer, first, thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for sharing those sweet words about the show. I Also appreciate you sending in this phenomenal question because I know this is a very common struggle, especially with how many of us are working from home these days and considering how casual fashion has become in recent years. But once your body gets used to those soft waistbands and cozy materials, I know jumping straight back into more rigid denim can feel awful. So let's talk about what you want to look for in your jeans to ensure that you can actually sit and feel good in them all day long. This is totally possible. The first thing that you want to do is look for soft, stretchy denim that rebounds. So I would recommend looking for jeans that have 1 to 2% elastane and a blend like Tencel, Lyocell or Model. These fabrics are going to help move with you, but they're not going to bag out. The second thing is to choose a contoured or flexible waistband. Gap proof waistbands and pull on styles. Yes they exist are definitely a game changer for long hours at your desk. So this could mean trying a jegging style. Or you can simply google pull on jeans for women and explore all of the options. I promise there's a bunch and as always, check reviews because people will be quick to comment on how well the jeans actually stay up and whether they stretch out or if they hold their shape throughout the day. The third thing that you can do is stick with more relaxed silhouettes. If you want to opt for a wide leg, a straight leg, or even a gently tapered cut that's going to feel a lot kinder and softer on your body than more of a skinny jean, especially when you're sitting for long periods. I do think fabric is more important than silhouette in this case. You want to look for those soft denims but but I also would recommend that you try some different silhouettes and just feel see what feels best for your body. And then the last thing is to explore some denim brands that are really known for their comfort. First, Athleta has some of the softest denim out there. You could definitely explore their options. Madewell is fantastic, especially their soft drape denim. I would check that out if I were you. Everlane's Way High jeans are also really well loved. Spanx denim is great. They have some pull on options that are surprisingly polished. NYDJ is great. They have some stretchy and supportive jeans. I've had issues in the past of them not holding their shape as well, but I think that they have improved. I haven't tried them in years so I would definitely again just be sure to check reviews citizens of humanity. Obviously more of an investment jean, but definitely worthwhile. They have some of the softest denim out there along with Ayr which is spelled A Y R their secrets Sauce jeans are also amazing. So the bottom line always check reviews. I can't say that enough. And look for specific mentions of comfort and stretch. While you're doing some Google searches, make sure you put those keywords in there. Comfort, softness. All of the things that you really want to look for in your denim brands that will help guide you in your search. And if you want some alternatives to denim, you could also consider stocking up on some ponte pants, more of a tailored knit trouser, or even some soft structured joggers. I highly, highly recommend if you're sitting for long periods of time that you consider getting some paper bag or more elastic waistband pants in your collection. This could be jeans or trousers. The biggest mindset shift here is that the jeans you wore years ago might not be the jeans that support the season you're in now. So I'd rather you have less but better. And maybe even just choose one or two pair of jeans that whether it's more of an investment or not, that have both comfort and structure together, you don't have to compromise one for the other. So again, less is always more. And opting for a couple pairs that you actually love that feel as comfortable as your leggings and that give you the polished look that you want for working from home. Okay, while we're on the topic of comfort and clothes that actually support your lifestyle and your body, let's shift to a question that I know so many petites curvy women are struggling with. Teresa wrote in and she said I need help with styling for my short body. I'm five feet tall with curvy hips. I always have trouble finding clothes to fit me properly. My go to is leggings with a soft shirt, but this look is so outdated I've been trying to find new options that fit me and look good. So Teresa, I will say first, I think there are quite a few solutions you can try. So there's a lot of good news here. We just have to break you out of this box and get you some stepping into a few new proportions and silhouettes that might flatter you a lot better and make you feel more up leveled, more current and also even more amazing. So first let's talk about a few potential outfit formula upgrades that you could try making. I would recommend that you consider swapping your long shirts for some slightly cropped knits that draw the eye up toward your waist. Or you could try shorter jackets or cardigans layered over a fitted tank. By keeping your top a bit shorter in length, you're going to first of all create a more flattering 2/3 proportion with your outfit rather than cutting your body off at the halfway point that might be happening with your lower hemline tops. And by doing that, by keeping the shorter proportion on your upper half, you're also going to help to elongate your legs. You might want to stick to darker colors on your lower half. If your goal in the past was to wear longer tops to downplay or hide your hips as a fellow triangle shape, I completely understand that. So in general, if you're doing a shorter length top, you might want to stick to darker color bottoms just to kind of minimize that area, if that's a concern for you. Now, excuse me. That said, if you do prefer to stick with longer tops, I would suggest trying a longer length button down shirt or a duster that you wear open. This is going to do a couple things too. This is going to give you the coverage that you might want to. But if you layer that with a shorter length T shirt or tank top underneath, whether you tuck it in or not, this is going to help to draw the eye up and give you a similar elongating effect. So if you think about it, it's kind of a hybrid combination. You get more of the waist defining look that we're talking about that draws the eye up, away from your hips, away from your legs, and it's also going to create that length. Wearing a long duster or a button down shirt is also going to help to keep the eye moving up and down. So that's kind of like a two for one. I think that could suit you, really a nice step in the right direction. And if you try this with jeans or slacks, you could even add an eye catching belt for a more finished and elevated style. Now another trade that you might want to make is opting for slim fit straight leg pants or subtle boot cut bottoms rather than your go to tapered leggings. Again, this is going to help create a nice long straight line from your hips to your ankles, which is also going to give you that elongating effect that we've been talking about. So you can still opt for comfort first materials like Ponte knit pants or even a wider leg sweatpant if you want that casual look in a more flattering silhouette. But I would experiment with some looser pant silhouettes through your lower half just to see how you feel. Now I also mentioned sticking with darker hues on bottom, and I don't necessarily mean black here. I know we always hear black is slimming, but please feel free to mix this up. Definitely embrace whatever your best hues are, but you can also try some elongating monochromatic outfits. So if you dress in one color from head to toe, this is going to help you avoid any disruptive breaks in your outfit and it will visually lengthen your frame as well. Now I always recommend that you keep your personal contrast levels in mind, so if you have really dark hair and fair skin, for example, you might want to add some variety in here so your look doesn't fall flat. But in general, if you opt for just one nice long column of color, that's going to help to really make your body read as taller than it is and also create a nice slimming effect for you as well. So these are just a couple of ideas to get you started. Teresa There are two things that I would do next after this if I were you. The first thing is to head over to Pinterest and search for curvy petite outfit ideas that'll help you expand on some other options. And I would definitely make sure that you're looking for influencers and models that have a similar build and body type as you, just to get you some more inspiration beyond what I shared already. And remember, this is all about experimenting, so you're going to need to stay open minded. Try some new things. Whether it's going in person to stores to try on some different combinations or if you want to order a few things online, make sure you can return anything you don't love. Just play a little bit of dress up until you discover some updated combinations that make you feel amazing. And then secondly, I would recommend going back in the Her Style podcast archives and listening to episode number 79. It's seven ways to improve your shopping experience as a petite plus size woman. Now I know you didn't say anything about being plus size, you just mentioned having curvier hips, so please don't misunderstand me here. There are a lot of really valuable shopping tips for petites in that episode, so I think it'll be worth giving it a quick listen. Next if you want to cue that.
- [11:41]
C
Up that hi Heather, My question is on holiday dressing, every year for Christmas I pull out the same J. Crew black watch top that I love, but I have had it since before I was married and I have two kids now, so it's a little bit tired, but at the same time it's hard for me to justify really building any kind of holiday capsule wardrobe. I have at most one, maybe two holiday parties that I go to and it's usually pretty low key, plus a Christmas Eve service. So to shop like I have a bunch of parties or even like I'm being seen much outside the home, that is a fantasy. My top two style words are dramatic and natural, and I don't often have a chance for dramatic looks. I usually lean more into the natural because that's my season of life with small children. So if I'm not maximizing the holiday dressing when I have the chance for it, I feel like I'm missing out on a huge opportunity. And also if something does arise where I do have somewhere else to go, something to dress up for, I am left scrambling. So I don't know if there's a kind of unicorn answer that I'm looking for, but what would your advice be on the most realistic way to navigate that?
- [12:56]
A
Cecily, my friend, thank you so much for sending me an audio question. You know that's my favorite way to hear from you. I love being able to air your voice alongside side mine on the show, so thank you for that. First and next I will say this is a very relatable struggle. I think we all want to feel festive and fabulous this time of year, especially if dramatic is one of your key style words. But you also don't want to invest in a whole holiday wardrobe when you typically have only one or two events to attend. So I agree fully you do not need a complete holiday capsule. There's just no need for that. But I do think that you would benefit from having a couple of holiday add on items. So what I would say is first start with your everyday black base. You already have the go to top. I know you said it's feeling a little bit tired, but you could pair it with your favorite jeans, you could pair it with black pants. It sounds like it would be a really easy piece to mix up as far as tops and bottoms go. So think about whatever fits your natural side in terms of the base of your outfit. And then what I would do if I were you is just elevate everything with one dramatic accent. Maybe you pick up a couple of options. You could buy costume jewelry. These don't have to be really expensive investment items, especially if you're mostly going to lean on them during the holiday season. But think about things that will make your top feel a bit special and new each time you wear it to express your dramatic side. Maybe you're going to try a stunning pair of sculptural earrings or a bold necklace in one of your best colors. If you want to kind of break up the the black and do something a little bit different, you might want to opt for a metallic or a patent shoe or even maybe a velvet shoe. Something with a great texture that adds a bit of a celebratory feel. Maybe you're going to try an eye catching clutch in a holiday related hue. It could be a gorgeous green or maybe you're going to do a tartan plaid or another fun print. You could opt for a standout holiday red lipstick. I think that's the easiest way to do a dramatic upgrade that going to take your look from daytime to drama in just an instant. Or maybe you want to consider a stunning scarf, a statement hat or a headband. Just keep brainstorming some ideas of even small inexpensive accessories that really align with your aesthetic preferences but that will make your outfit feel more special and elevated for the season. Now if you are up for making one or two more substantial investments, maybe you want to pick up a couple of wardrobe pieces that you can rotate in and out. This could be a beautiful velvet blazer or a sequin skirt. I think even having just two or three pieces that you could style in other ways throughout the year. For bonus points because I don't want you to buy things that you're only going to wear once, think about how you might be able to integrate it into your wardrobe in other occasions. It could be for a date night or maybe your birthday, but think about making maybe a couple of smart investments that will make your wardrobe more versatile, add a little bit of the drama that you love, and also help you to feel your very best at the holidays. So ensure sure that anything you pick up can either be worn in a couple of different ways or styled with a few other items in your existing wardrobe. All right. Finally, let's talk about something almost all of us struggle with at some point, which is packing for a weekend away. Our final question came from Deanne and she said I would love your help and guidance on styling and preparing for a weekend girls trip. I live in Ontario, Canada and the weekend could consist of going out for a spa day somewhere in the city, hiking outdoors or throwing an indoor themed party. Basically anything goes. We always fit in some lounging, movie watching or board game playing indoors. My issue is that I never know what to pack to be suitable for whatever the activity is and still have my outfits fit in One small to medium duffel bag with my toiletries included. We carpool and bring potluck food items so car space is tight. I tend to overpack most times with my duffel bag overflowing and then still not have the right selection of clothing to be comfortable to lounge and still look cute in the cottage and or dress up if a spontaneous outside restaurant outing pops up. I want to have cute outfits ready to fit all the occasions the weekend could offer in any season, but still pack tight in a duffel bag. I would love your help and suggestions. So Deanne, I got you covered friend. This is a really fun question because I love a good trip, a good girls weekend. Let me know if you have room for a guest. Would be happy to join you. And also I do think that this is extremely solvable with a couple of simple packing tips and maybe a good formula to get you started. No matter the season. I think there are some key ways to make sure that you're packing light while staying prepared for all the possible activities. The first thing that I highly, highly recommend when you are putting together any kind of travel capsule is picking a simple color palette. I would recommend honing in on about three hues tops for the weekend to ensure that everything mixes and matches with ease. Maybe you're going to pick two neutrals and then one pop of color to keep everything fun. Now if you have a personal color palette, this is one of those times when that really comes in handy because all of your best hues are meant to harmonize easily with one another. So this step is kind of optional if your wardrobe is already cohesive in that way. But if you're otherwise overwhelmed by colors and putting things together in different combinations, then I want you to really laser in on just a few. Once you have your color palette picked, I want you to try using a four outfit weekend formula. So I want you to pack exactly four outfits or use this as your starting point more specifically. So the first thing I want you to make sure you have is a cozy lounge set. This will be perfect for movies, in game nights, wine nights, whatever kind of activities you're doing at the house that you're staying. The second outfit that I want you to have is an outdoorsy outfit. This would be maybe leggings and a fleece jacket in the winter, or it could be shorts and a tank top in the summer. Just something for those outdoor activities like hiking or any thing that really requires movement and comfort. And then the third one is a cute casual outfit. This is going to be elevated from the cozy lounge set, but it might be something like like comfortable jeans or trousers and a pretty sweater. This would be ideal for coffee runs, maybe a lunch out or even that spontaneous dinner outing. And then the fourth thing that I want you to have and this isn't an outfit, but I just want you to think about packing one elevated wild card layer. This could be a cute jacket or a beautiful blouse that instantly dresses things up that might even be better for a nicer dinner out. And then if you think about it, you could make a number of different combinations from those key pieces. You could pair your lounge top with your jeans for another casual look, or you could pair your lounge bottoms with your cozy fleece jacket for another inside snuggle up day option. Or you could wear the cute jacket that you packed with your leggings for a neat high low mix. Again, if the color scheme works together, you should be able to do a lot with the right assortment of wardrobe options. And I'm also going to give you a couple of packing rules to keep your duffel bag feeling really manageable. My first suggestion this one might be really hard to do, but I would recommend that you bring only two pairs of shoes. And in this case I would probably suggest a pair of sneakers or something comfortable for walking, hiking, etc. And then an elevated flat like a simple loafer or a ballet flat, something that you could wear as more of a dressy piece depending on your personal style. I do think that would work well for a day trip into the city or dinner out in the evening. If you're like me, you might want to bring a pair of heels if you have room that would be great, but I would say make that optional only if you can swing it. Also, a good tip would be to wear your bulkiest outfit in the car. Hopefully that goes without saying, but that will allow you to have more space in your duffel bag if you're wearing those bulkier layers like a fleece jacket or maybe even your lounge set so you feel comfortable in the car. Unless you're making a stop and you're planning to go out somewhere nicer. I would do your best to wear your heavier layers in the car. Also, I would suggest packing just three tops and three bottoms max. And again make sure that everything is really interchangeable and then bring one multi purpose outer layer based on the season. I'm going to give you a few ideas of what I mean for this based on your upcoming winter trip. I know you said you're heading out in January February. Your question was longer than the version I read on the air. But for your upcoming winter getaway, I would suggest that you could either. Again, depending on your personal style, you could opt for a fleece lined shacket that would be cozy enough for lounging at the house, warm enough for outdoor activities, and also cute enough for photos or maybe a casual outing out in town. Or you could do a polished hip length puffer jacket in one of your best colors. Of course that's going to be functional for cold weather. It's still going to look really intentional with jeans, leggings or knitwear, and it's not going to be too bulky if you're wearing it in the car. Another option would be maybe a wool blend coat. Again, this is going to look more elevated. It'll work over your lounge sets, jeans, dresses. It's going to feel like a cozy blanket, but read more like a stylish top layer so the overall mindset shift that I want you to make here is that you don't need to pack for every possible scenario. I just want you to focus on packing for the probabilities and simply add one elevated option in case of emergency. This is going to keep your bag light and make sure that your outfits are cute. And my final philosophy would be this might shock you, but if you forget or you find yourself in need of something while you're away, or like oh, I should have brought this, that other thing. There are worse things than doing a little shopping on your girl's getaway. So maybe bring a little seed money and you could always pick up a pretty wearable souvenir for yourself if you must. All right friend. I hope that these real life style solutions gave you the clarity and confidence to take your next step. Whether that's refreshing your jeans, updating your petite and curvy silhouettes, elevating your holiday outfits, or packing smart for a weekend getaway. I want to thank Jennifer, Teresa, Cecily and Dan for sending these fabulous questions for our final Q and a episode of 2025. I can't believe it. If you have a style question you'd love me to answer in our next Q and A episode in the new year, you can submit it anytime by visiting herstylellc.com podcast. I absolutely love helping you solve these everyday wardrobe challenges right here for free on the show. Thank you as always for tuning in and I'll meet you back here next week with more ways to simplify your style and show up feeling like the very best version of you.
- [23:56]
Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to stop copying everyone else's style and start dialing in your own swoon worthy signature look, head over to take my free 5 minute personal style quiz which you can find at the link in the show Notes. If you've enjoyed our time together, please be sure to rate, review and subscribe to her style podcast so you never miss an episode. Finally, I invite you to make this a two way conversation and send me a DM over on Instagram eatherrigstyle to let me know how I can best support you on your style journey. I'm always here for you in style and service. Until next time.